A while back I was contacted by Easy Canvas Prints to try out their product. It came at a great time, as Isaac’s first birthday was approaching and we were going to have a photo session to document the wonderful time. It didn’t take long to get the pictures back, but we kind of didn’t get around to picking out our favorite one to have put on canvas. Finally, however, I got off my haunches and picked the picture that I wanted put to canvas.

Looking at their website you can see they claim that they put your picture to canvas in 4 easy steps. I can officially vouch that their statement is very true. Once I actually sat down and started the process I think I was done in about 3 or 4 minutes. The thing that took the longest was uploading the photo to the site (which wasn’t a shock since the photo is about 3-4 megs). The remaining steps were uber-easy.

While you’re picking the size, border, etc it shows you the price of everything, with a running total up at the top right. It’s pretty nifty and will show you if you’re getting too fancy and out of your price range. Also, when you’re configuring your picture you can move it around on the simulated canvas until it’s just like you want it. I ordered my free 8×10 and got it in the mail soon thereafter.

I have to say, I wasn’t really sure how I was going to feel about the picture on canvas since, you know, canvas is kind of rough. Once it arrived, though, it looks pretty cool.

Sure when you get up close you can see it’s on canvas and the texture that goes along with it, but it’s a really clean print on the canvas so it doesn’t really matter.

And when you’re back at a normal distance it looks like it’s just a regular painting or photo.

What I REALLY like about it is that they give you the option to make the sides of the canvas a continuation of the picture, wrapping the picture all the way around. It’s not the only way you can do it, but I think it looks pretty cool (which is why I got that style).

You can also get the image mirrored down the side or just a solid color, but whatever.

I can honestly say that I really like the finished product we got and it’s hanging above our mantle. I do wish I’d paid to get something a little bigger because our mantle kind of engulfs the picture. The prices originally seemed kind of steep to me, but I’ve never priced anything like these before. Then I started doing “The Google” and found that their prices are right in line (and when they’re on sale like they are now, cheaper) with their competition.

So I’ll tell you this. It’s good quality, it’s easy to do and it’s a good price. If it matches the feel of your house/room then I’d say go for it. Plus, with their 50% off offer I’d say it’s a really good deal.

Disclosure: I received a free 8×10 canvas in exchange for the ad that is placed on the side of the site and I added this review in. I figure if you’re going to see an ad for it you may as well know if I like it.

I was recently contacted by Dove to see if I was interested in trying out their new line of Dove Men+ Care products. Just for the record, I am not a guy who actually cares much about the products I use to clean myself, but I do use Dove products and felt like I might enjoy their line. So I agreed and they sent me a nice package. It was a nice bag with some deodorant, body wash, soap bar and a Dual Sided Shower Tool (they don’t call it a loofah, but it’s a half loofah – we call it the non-loofah loofah).

The Score

Isaac immediately fell in love with the bag. He had a blast taking the stuff out, putting them back in and then adding his toys to the equation. At various times the bag contained a ball from the ball pit, a ball from his ball popper, a ball from his gumball machine, a truck and a small stuffed animal. Sometimes it contained the Dove products too.

Now let me tell you something about how I used to pick out cleaning products. It was a 3 step process.

1) Go to the store

2) Find cheapest product possible

3) Buy said cheapest product

Since Erin and I have been dating/married I’ve gone up a little in the world. Now I only buy the cheapest shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and shaving cream. The one thing I don’t go cheapest on is soap. She convinced me a long time ago that the type of soap actually matters and, believe it or not, we’ve been using Dove and I actually do notice a difference when I use another brand (and usually not in a good way). So Dove coming out with a line geared towards men made me think it was a good idea to say yes.

Let’s start with the Dual Sided Shower Tool (henceforth known as the non-loofah loofah). (All prices are based on what I found on Walgreens’ website)

Dove Men+ Care Active Clean Dual Sided Shower Tool

I might lose some man points here, but for some reason I’ve always kind of liked loofahs. I don’t know why, but I kind of feel like the scraping of my skin means that I’m getting cleaner. Like the slight discomfort they cause means that it’s doing more than just straight soap.

Dove’s Shower Tool is really only a half-loofah because the other half is a scrubber. I’ve found that I use the scrubber side works pretty well for my feet, which is pretty much the only part I use it on. The loofah side (for some reason they really don’t like that word) is seemingly like the other two I’ve ever used in my life.

I will give them credit though. The fact that one side (the scrubber part) is sturdy makes it a lot nicer to hold than if it was just a straight loofah. You can actually hold on to the sides while using it, which is a plus in my book.

So I like it, it’s an improvement over a straight loofah and the scrubber does come in handy. For the $5.49 price tag on it I would say it’s worth the price. I can’t say that I’ve priced other loofahs or anything, but that doesn’t seem unreasonable. Thumbs up Dove.

Now on to the body wash.

Dove Men+ Care Sensitive Clean Body and Face Wash

I started with the non-loofah loofah because to start with the body wash would be pretty pointless. If you’re not willing to use a loofah why would you get body and face wash that goes on said loofah? Doesn’t make much sense now, does it (to me at least)?

I really don’t know what to say about the body and face wash. It works great with the non-loofah loofah and I end up feeling clean, which is the most important thing. Erin has apparently been hijacking some of the body and face wash because it’s unscented. Since it’s designed for sensitive skin they don’t put any fancy smells in that might cause irritation. So apparently the name doesn’t scare women away. Once again the ladies are hijacking our products.

Personally I don’t use the body and face wash as a face wash, but that’s mostly because I don’t want to use the loofah to scrub my face so I use soap instead. I suppose I could squirt some body wash onto my hands and wash my face that way, but for some reason that’s not how I roll.

The body wash also costs $5.49 for a 13.5 oz bottle. Again, seems reasonable.

Dove Men+ Care Extra Fresh Body and Face Bar

Here we get to the bar of soap. For years Erin and I have used the plain, original Dove bar and have had nothing but good things to say about it. It doesn’t dry out my skin and they sell it at CostCo so we can buy 200 at a time and not worry about soap for 10 years.

I didn’t really notice a difference between the Dove Men+ Care version of the soap and the original version of the soap. I don’t know if the two are actually different in anything except the scent. I don’t really know how to describe the smell other than it’s more “manly” (Erin’s words). It’s not like the manly you see in the Axe commercials, but in more of a “Hey, that guy doesn’t smell like a woman” way.

A 6-pack of the soap costs $8.49 whether you buy the original or buy the Men+ Care. All things being equal (which they are) I’d pick the Men+ because it does have a good scent to it.

So, again, thumbs up Dove.

Dove Men+ Care Clean Comfort Antiperspirant/Deodorant

Deodorants are DEFINITELY one of the things that I don’t mind going cheap on. As long as it’s not discoloring shirts I’m fine with pretty much whatever doesn’t smell awful and is cheap. I care so much about it that I send Erin to the store with the instructions of “I need deodorant, get something that smells good” and don’t care what she comes home with, as long as she didn’t spend too much.

That being said, the funny thing is, a little before Dove contacted me I was in need of some deodorant and Erin happened to be the one going to the store. She had a coupon and actually bought me a bar of the Dove Men+ Care deodorant. So, in a way, I had a jump on the product.

It fits all my requirements for deodorant. It hasn’t left any marks on clothes, it’s $4.99 (which from what I recall looking at the store last time is right around average) and it doesn’t smell bad. Not sure what else you want from your deodorant.

So thumbs up again Dove.

In conclusion…

I would buy all of the stuff they sent me (and in the weird case of a guy asking me what bath products he should get I’d recommend it). What I like about the line is that it’s stuff that everyone needs, it leaves my skin feeling good instead of dry and it’s competitively priced. If they were significantly more expensive than the competition we’d probably still buy the bars of soap but pass on the rest, but that’s not the case.

I’m a low maintenance guy who doesn’t really care about bathroom products, so take that into account here. Erin has told me that the reviews sound “on the positive side of neutral” which is accurate, but also about as high of praise as I will probably ever give bath products. Just a fact.

A reminder, I received this stuff free of charge but all opinions are my own. Yes I didn’t say anything negative about it, but they’re bath products so it’s not like they’re going to magically break down after 30 days.

A while back I was approached by Naturopathica to try out their shaving cream and tell you about it. I figured since everyone needs to shave at some point in their life it couldn’t hurt to try.

Their big calling card is that they take a “holistic approach to well-being taps into the best of nature by combining certified natural and organic ingredients with Naturoceuticals, state-of-the-art skin care technology, without harmful synthetics.” While Erin and I are fairly big on organic stuff and using natural products, shaving products being created in that vein had never occurred to me. So it was a bit of a surprise to hear about their product. According to the email that I was sent, the shaving cream “is free of irritants such as parabens, synthetic fragrances and sulfates, which can often create razor burn and other uncomfortable “post- shave” symptoms.”

So let’s get to the actual product review, shall we?

First off, when I got the package it was very well presented. If you’re getting it as a gift for someone you definitely will not be disappointed, nor will you have to repackage it for them. It’s a nice presentation.

The first thing we did was smell the three things I was sent: the shaving cream, the facial wash and moisturizer. They all have a semi-herby smell to them (Erin’s words that I agree with).

Naturopathica’s Soothing Shaving Cream

First off, I don’t like shaving. I know most people probably don’t, but I tend to go about a week or two (you know, until Erin or I get annoyed with it) between shavings.

This shaving cream was something foreign to me. It is much thicker than anything I’ve ever used before (then again I’m a cheapskate and buy whatever the cheapest shaving cream is at the store…ah the wonders of non-sensitive skin) and has kind of a sunscreen consistency. The actual shaving part was good and I have come away from my shaves every time without razor burn, which I will sometimes get a little bit of on my neck but not too bad. So, for me, it represented a slight upgrade in performance.

I had to wait to do this review for a while because I needed a test subject with sensitive skin to use it. That person was, you probably guessed it, Isaac! (kidding, it was Erin) She has sensitive skin like you wouldn’t believe and she used it to shave her legs and was very happy with the results. While she normally gets irritation on her legs when shaving, she came away with none. As she said “if I were a guy I’d use it.”

The only downside (for me) to the shaving cream is the cost. As I mentioned above, I’m cheap and don’t have sensitive skin, so for me the price tag ($26 for 5oz) is a bit steep. If you have sensitive skin, however, and are having problems finding something then this could be useful for you. The upside is that it doesn’t take a whole lot to cover your face, so 5oz should last you a while.

Naturopathica’s Clarifying Facial Wash

The face wash was the next thing I tried. I should probably use it more often than I have but I’m just not that big into using face washes and the like. But what I did use it for was aftershave, and I can honestly say that it’s a good use for it. I don’t know if it’s because of the shaving cream or the face wash, but there was no stinging when I used it for aftershave. This, to me, is a bit of a change. I’m not going to lie, I usually nick myself once or twice on the neck when I shave, which can lead to some painful experiences with aftershave, but I haven’t experienced that issue when combining the shaving cream with the facial wash. So a hearty thumbs up for that.

As an actual face wash I can say that it seems to work fine. I’ve noticed a slight decrease in oiliness in my face that I guess I’ll chalk up to the face wash and I’m more likely to use it than any of the other tubes of facial scrubs that are around our bathroom.

The only downside, again, is the price tag.

Naturopathica’s Daily Defense Moisturizer

I didn’t know I was getting the facial wash and moisturizer when I said to send me the sample for a review, but I did. Little did they know that I’m a lazy bum and don’t use moisturizer on a regular basis. I don’t know why, it just doesn’t happen. I’ve been using it, but I’m not sure what qualifies as working for moisturizer. I mean, I use it and my face doesn’t break out and feels okay, so I guess it’s good. According to Erin I need to start using it frequently, but who really knows.

In all honesty, if there was one product of the three that I wouldn’t buy it would be the moisturizer, but that’s only because I know I wouldn’t use it.

Conclusion

All in all they have good products. A bit pricy for my tastes, but if you have sensitive skin or natural products are important to you, then they are a good option.